Abia indigenes protest planned relocation of cattle market to their community

Economic, business and vehicular activities were grounded in Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State as indigenes of the area have taken to the streets, major roads including Enugu-Port Harcourt roads to protest planned relocation of the cattle market/”Fulani settlement” in Aba, the commercial nerve of the state to the area by the Abia State government.

The protesters, including aged men and women, and youths from one of Abia’s rich agricultural and oil producing  communities lamented the loss that the people have suffered in the recent times in the hands of cattle and herders whose grazing activities in their farms have brought them pains and low agricultural yield.

The peaceful protest which started from Obehie-Akwete-Azumini-Ukanafun Highway and terminated at Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt left road users to groan under the scorching sun for several hours.

According to some of the respondents, they urged Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to consider it as a priority to relocate the market/”Fulani settlement” to his Umuobiakwa Community in Obingwa Local Government Area where there is enough land for such business.

The protesters led by the leadership of Asa Development Union (ADU); an Apex socio-cultural body of the Ukwa West indigenes, bore placards with inscriptions such as, “Take the cattle market to Umuobiakwa Obingwa (Gov Ikpeazu’s village); Fulani Herdsmen are destroying our farms on daily basis. Ukwa needs government protection not cattle market; Site the cattle market at Umuobiakwa based on its proximity to Aba.” 

Other inscriptions on the placards includes, “The most suitable developmental project for the oil rich Ukwa in 21 years of democracy is Cattle Market; Is cattle market the panacea for many years of dehumanization, despoliation, marginalization of Ukwa people by successive government of Abia State; cattle market is pregnant with underdevelopment, crimes like kidnapping, armed robbery, rape etc.”

The leadership of ADU stated that the nuisance caused the Fulani herdsmen and their activities of maiming, raping, kidnapping, banditry and destruction of farm crops cannot be accommodated in Ukwa land; hence, the hue and cry of Ukwa people. 

When reporters visited the said land at Obehie-Asa, where the said cattle settlement /market approved by the Abia State Government for Fulani herdsmen is located, cows of large numbers were seen moving uncontrollably within the area with few herders on ground.

In an interview, the President-General ADU Dr. Onwubiko Dike and the union’s Secretary-General Dr. IK Ajuzieogu, they said that the essence of the peaceful demonstration is to make it clear that Ukwa people are not willing to give out their land for any cattle related business.

Onwubiko who accused the herdsmen of committing various heinous crime in their community said “Of course, it is in the public domain that the raging countrywide insecurity orchestrated by Fulani herdsmen has become a palpably recurrent decimal threatening national security.

“Already, the Fulani herdsmen are all over Ukwa West LGA, especially Owaza and Obiakpu communities perpetrating heinous crimes including kidnapping of our people and demanding ransom. Incidents of this ugly scenario have been well recorded in  the diary of the Divisional Police Headquarters, Obehie-Asa.

“Ukwa land should not be mortgaged for nasty, obnoxious, irrational, repugnant and unconscionable political interests. Cattle Market at Obehie is a political narcissism of the most bizarre order. 

“Ukwa people totally reject this cold and callous political impunity of cattle market verging on a terribly mischievous and wickedly marooned power mongering. 

“The rage of Asa Development Union is against the dying conscience of whoever is playing politics of cattle market to enslave and suffer the souls of innocent Ukwa people under absolutely false facade of development.

“Abia State Government should look elsewhere for cattle market as Ukwa land cannot accommodate the asphyxiating and anathematizing living conditions associated with such projects,” he said. 

ADU notes that Ukwa West LGA has the smallest landmass in Abia and as the only oil producing area in the state; a substantial landmass is interspersed with oil and gas pipelines such that a small patch of land is left out for agricultural activities from which the people eke a living. 

They stressed that the grave implication of public health challenges of zoonosis of Trypanosomiasis (a deadly protozoan sleeping sickness) outbreak as a result of cattle market will be a life threatening danger to their people and should not be contemplated.

ADU stated that there is a groundswell of what it described as “overarching uneasiness and disenchantment of Ukwa people” with the worsening spectre of unbridled land acquisition vis-a-vis acquisition of nearly 10,000 hectares of Ukwa land for the proposed Enyimba Economic City that has culminated in the death of Mr. Nwamaka Ogbuji of Ugwuati-Asa on Wednesday, January 15 2020.

“Consequently, the vexation issue of cattle Market at Obehie-Asa is being perceived as an aggravated assault on Ukwa people by the present Abia State Government.”

Deaconess Patience Azonwu, Secretary Asa Women Council urged authorities to listen to Asa people and avoid bringing more trouble on a people that are already traumatized by the destructive activities of Fulani herdsmen.

“Farming is our only source of income. Fulani cows have been destroying our farmlands. We farm mainly cassava. Before, we are known for producing best and quality garri. Today garri is the costliest food in our land because we now buy from outside. 

“This is why our women are saying that we don’t want these herdsmen. We feed our children with sales from our farm produce. So, bringing cattle market to us is unacceptable. It’ll add insult to our injury and we don’t want it.”